Christie bails out of Jersey, heads to New Hampshire

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, left, talks to the media as he campaigns with New Hampshire Republican gubernatorial candidate Walt Havenstein, right, Friday, June 20, 2014, in Bedford, N.H. Havenstein faces Andrew Hemingway in the Sept. 9 primary to take on incumbent Democrat Gov. Maggie Hassan in the November general election.(Photo: AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

It's an action-packed day for Gov. Chris Christie, headlining (as usual) New Jersey's political calendar for this Thursday, July 31st, 2014 ...

Gov. Chris Christie addresses the Senate and Assembly about bail reform at a special session of the Legislature he convened, noon in the Assembly chambers in Trenton. He's pushing for a vote on the two-bill bail package today.

After the speech, Christie heads quickly to New Hampshire for a campaign swing in support of gubernatorial candidate Walt Havenstein. The two will tour BAE Systems, where Havenstein used to be CEO, 3 p.m. in Nashua, then headline a fundraiser for the Republican Governors Association, 5:30 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Manchester.

Christie's day still isn't done at that point. He's then scheduled to be joined by U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, former Gov. John Sununu and other political figures for a 6 p.m. fundraiser at the minor-league baseball stadium in Manchester, Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. The Fisher Cats, the AA team affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays, tonight host the Reading Fightin Phils. The teams are at the bottom of the Eastern League's Eastern Division, but the folks paying $2,500 to sit in a luxury suite with Christie probably don't care too much about the game.

Senate voting session, 2 p.m. in Trenton, to vote on the bail-reform constitutional amendment and the companion legislation. That was already on the schedule before Christie called the special session.

The Assembly ... well, that's the crux of the issue today. Stay tuned.

Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno participates in a manufacturing roundtable, 9:30 a.m. at the New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Co. in West Trenton.

Today is the 50th birthday of the Atlantic City Expressway. The South Jersey Transportation Authority is marking the occasion by sealing a time capsule at its Farley Service Plaza, a beach party at Texas Avenue in Atlantic City at 6 p.m., a bonfire lit by Mayor Don Guardian at 8:15 p.m. and fireworks at 9:15 p.m.

Statehouse Reporter:
Michael Symons is one of the longest-tenured reporters currently covering New Jersey politics from the Statehouse in Trenton, an assignment that has spanned six governors – though because it’s been a particularly tumultuous era, that’s actually only been since 2000. Before being assigned to Trenton, where his specialties include the state budget, Michael worked at the Home News Tribune (back when it had an ampersand in its name) and one of its predecessors, The News Tribune. He’s a lifelong New Jerseyan, raised in North Arlington in Bergen County and currently living in East Amwell in Hunterdon County, with a stop in between to graduate from Rutgers University in New Brunswick in 1993. Michael is co-author of the first biography of Gov. Chris Christie, ""Chris Christie: The Inside Story of His Rise to Power,"" published in 2012 by St. Martin’s Press. He has appeared on national television outlets such as MSNBC and C-SPAN, is a regular guest on NJTV’s public-affairs program Reporters Roundtable and has been interviewed on radio stations in New Jersey and around the country. In 2008, he created a state politics blog, Capitol Quickies, that continues to provide news and not-quite-news about New Jersey, its politics and government, including a daily scene-setter of the state’s political calendar. He’s on Twitter at @MichaelSymons_, where every week he receives inquiries about cooking he’s ill-equipped to answer from people hoping to connect with the similarly named Iron Chef star.